Unit wall closet



March 18, 1969 l R. A. MAGNusoN ET A L `3,433,549

UNIT WALL CLOSET -ff- 9.x. /f

March 18, 1969 R A MAGNUSQN ET AL 3,433,549

UNIT WALL CLOSET.

Filed July 18, 1967 Sheet ,e of 2 tzzi 2J? `P 4 L; ff/ i /f ff /fN United States Patent O 3,433,549 UNIT WALL CLOSET Raymond A. Magnuson, Hinsdale, and Donald L. Brorson, Western Springs, Ill., assignors to Vogel-Peterson Co., Elmhurst, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed July 18, 1967, Ser. No. 654,196 U.S. Cl. 312-245 l 5 Claims Int. Cl. A47f 5 08; A47b 97 00, 81 /00 ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates in general to closet wardrobe constructions for storage of garments, hats, office supplies or the like and, more particularly, to a wallmounted wardrobe construction.

It is an object of the invention to provide a wall mounted wardrobe which employs an improved and simplied means for supporting the side panels of the wardrobe in an elevated position on a wall.

Another object is to provide a wall mounted wardrobe of the above character having a decorative and aesthetically pleasing appearance and substantially enclosing articles placed within it.

A further object is to provide a wall mounted wardrobe as characterized above and having a front opening door adapted to be opened without the use of a protrud- Aing handle or other hardware, thus providing a wardrobe with a front panel having an uninterrupted surface of pleasing appearance.

Still another object is to provide shelf support brackets for a wall mounted wardrobe which serve to hold a tubular shelf and to support the side panels of the wardrobe so that the tubular members of the shelf act as a structural, rigid span extending between the panels so as to maintain a constant spacing between them.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the following description proceeds, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a front elevation of an exemplary wall mounted wardrobe embodying the features of the present invention with portions broken away to show interior constructions;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially in the plane of line 2-2 in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top view of the wardrobe shown in FIG. 1 with an open position of the wardrobe door shown by phantom outline;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken substantially in the plane of line 4-4 in FIIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken substantially in the plane of line 5-5 in FIG. 3 showing in solid lines the components of a support bracket in spaced relation and showing in phantom the cap member of the bracket in assembled position, and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section of a bracket embodying a modied form of the invention.

While the invention is susceptible of various modications and alternative constructions, certain preferred embodiments have been shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to 3,433,549 Patented Mar. 18, 1969 the specilic forms disclosed, but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the invention is there exemplified in an illustrative wardrobe `10 mounted on a wall 11 in an elevated position above a floor 12. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the wardrobe 10 includes a pair of spaced vertical side panels 14, 15 and upper and lower horizontal shelves 16 positioned between the side panels. The illustrated shelves 16 are comprised of a plurality of rods 18 which extend substantially the distance between the side panels 14, 15. The upper shelf rods 8 may conveniently support a plurality of garment hangers 27. The hangers 27 in this case each have a T- shaped head 28 which may be removably inserted into a slo-t in the lower hook of one of a set of sliding receptacles 29 which encircle one of the shelf rods 18.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a plurality of wall mounted brackets 20 are provided which perform the dual function of directly supporting both the closet shelves 16 and the side panels 14, 15. Each bracket 20 includes an upright base 21 (FIG. 5) having a flat rear surface adapted for flush engagement with the wall surface 11. For the purpose of securing the brackets 20 to the wall 11, screws 22 or other suitable fasteners are passed through mounting apertures in the base 21 and are threaded into the wall. Extending generally normal to the base 21 is a tapered arm 24 having a transversely extending supporting ledge 25 with a series of semicircular seats 26 defining surfaces for receiving and supporting the lower portion of the shelf rods 18.

To rigidly clamp the respective ends of the shelf rods 18 in the seats 26, each bracket includes a clamp member 30 superimposed over the rods 18 and secured in place by screws 31 threaded into the bracket arm 24. Each of the illustrated clamp members 30 has a series of arcuate seats 32 spaced apart by the same distance as the seats 26 of arm 24 so as to engage the upper surfaces of the rods 18 held therein. Preferably, the clamp member 30 is so constructed that, with the rods 18 in place, a slight gap exists between the clamp 30 and the top surface of the bracket arm 20. Thus, when the screws are tightened the clamp member 30 securely holds the rods 18 within the bracket arm 24.

In keeping with the invention, the side panels 14, 15 are secured directly to the brackets 20 so as to be supported in an elevated position above the floor. In the illustrated embodiment, each bracket clamp 30= is formed with a plurality of flanges or webs 34 depending from the arcuate seats of the clamp so as to cover the ends of the shelf rods 18. The ilanges 34 are apertured to receive fasteners 35 which secure the side panels to the anges. To facilitate a firm engagement between the clamp member 30 and side panels 14, 15, the flanges 34 are spaced slightly inward from the outer edges of the arcuate clamp seats 26 from which they depend, and a washer 3-6 is interposed between each flange and the panel which it supports. The number of screws 35 necessary to support a side panel will vary depending upon the size and weight of the wardrobe. In the illustrated embodiment screws 35 are passed through only the extreme front and rear flange 34. It is apparent that, although in the illustrated brackets the flanges have been formed as part of the bracket clamp 30, alternatively they could be formed in the seats 26 of the arms 24 and would serve the same function.

It will be appreciated that since the side panels 14, 15 are secured directly to the brackets 20, rather than to the ends of the rod-s as in some prior wardrobes, more direct support is provided for the side panels. Furthermore, the bracket construction of the present invention permits the use of additional brackets when added support is required for the side panels without necessitating the addition of a corresponding number of shelves. Although the shelf rods 18 are absent when a bracket is used only for providing support to a side panel, the clamp member 30 is secured to the arm 24 in the same manner as if there were rods between them except that, with the screws 31 fully tightened, the clamp member and the arm will abut. Moreo'ver, since the brackets 20 are located adjacent the side panels at the extreme ends of the shelf rods, they do not affect the closet storage space or limit the movement of hanger receptacles 29 along the rods.

In keeping with the invention, a front opening door 40 is swingingly secured to one of the side panels so that, when in a closed position, the door slightly overlaps the outer surfaces of the side panels 14, by a uniform distance d as shown in FIG. 3. In the illustrated ernbodiment the door 40 is secured to the side panel 14 `by a continuous hinge 41, although the door may be hinged to either side of a panel, depending upon the direction of swing desired. Overlapping of the panels 14, 15 by the door 40 serves a dual purpose. First, it conceals the hinge connection 41 on one side. Second, it permits the user to pull open the door by simply engaging the overhanging free edge on the opposite side, thereby eliminating the need for a protruding handle or other hardware on the door, and permitting the front panel of the closet to be made with an uninterrupted surface.

It is apparent that the uninterrupted front door surface, which may be appropriately decorated `if desired, combined with the symmetrical overlapping of the side panels by the door creates a wardrobe of aesthetically pleasing appearance. Moreover, since the front door 40 and the side panels 14, 15 form a closet which is substantially fully enclosed on all the sides, its contents are not visible from the side as is the case with some present wall mounted wardrobes. The interior of the wardrobe, however, is continuously ventilated since the wardrobe top is open and the side panels are spaced above the floor.

In order to maintain the door 40 in a normally closed position, magnetic plates 45 are mounted on the front edge of the side panel 15 and corresponding magnetic plates 46 are mounted on the door. The magnetic attraction between the plates 45, 46 is sufficient to hold the door firmly closed, but it may be easily overcome by pulling the free edge 42 of the door 40 as described above.

A modified form of the invention, and in particular of the bracket 20, is shown in FIG. 6 wherein similar parts have been given numbers corresponding to those previously described, but with the distinguishing sutiix a added. In several respects the 'bracket 20a illustrated in FIG. 6 is similar to the bracket 20 described above. Thus, a clamp 30a is formed with arcuate seats 32a adapted to clamp the ends of shelf rods 18a into seats 26a of an arm member 24a extending from an upright base 21a secured to a wall. Further, the clamp 30a has depending flanges 34a which are located adjacent the ends of the shelf rods 18a and are apertured to receive screws 35a for securing the side panel 14a to the flange 34a in the same manner as shown in FIG. 4.

In carrying out a further aspect of the invention, however, provision is made in the modified form shown in FIG. 6 for maintaining dimensional stability between the two side walls of the wardrobe and for preventing rotation of the shelf rods within their brackets. To this end, the illustrated bracket clamp 30a is formed with an additional member in the form of a depending finger 50` extending parallel to the flange 34a and received in a slot 51 formed for that purpose near the end of the shelf rod 18a. By the provision of interlocking fingers 50 and slots 51 at both ends of the shelves 16 rigidity of the structure is significantly increased, the chance of accidental disengagement of the shelf rods from a bracket is eliminated, and the dimension between the side panels is accurately predetermined, thus permitting predrilling of holes in the panels for the accurate and convenient installation of the hinges for the front opening door after the panels have been mounted on the wall. Finally, by preventing rotation of the shelf rods, the interlocking finger-slot feature permits the use of permanent type hanger receptacles by insuring that they will maintain their preset, generally vertical position. While in the illustrative embodiment the locking member 50 has been shown as a finger formed as part of the arcuate portion of cap member 30, it will be understood that alternatively they may be formed in the arcuate seats 26a of the arm member 24a and may take the form of a dimple, flange or the like.

What is cla-imed is:

1. `In a wall mounted wardrobe the combination comprising a side panel, a bracket including an upright base for mounting on a wall, an arm member extending perpendicularly from said base and a clamp member rigidly secured to said arm member, and a shelf comprising a plurality of spaced rods, said yshelf being supported at one end by said arm member, said arm member being formed with a series of arcuate seats for receiving and supporting the lower portion lof said shelf rods at their ends, said clamp member being formed with a corresponding series of arcuate seats for engaging the upper portion of lsaid shelf rods at their ends, one of said members having flanges extending transversely from at least two arcuate seats of said member to a position adjacent the end of the shelf rod received in each seat, and fastening means securing said side panel to said anges so that said panel is supported on the wall by means of said bracket.

2. The combination of claim 1 -in which one of said members has a projecting finger extending from each arcuate seat of said member, and each of said shelf rods is formed with an aperture adjacent its end receiving the finger of the seat in which the rod is received whereby longitudinal and rotational movement -of all said rods relative to said bracket is prevented.

3. In a wall mounted wardrobe the combination comprising a pair of side panels, at least two pairs of horizontally spaced brackets secured to a wall in vertical alignment, said brackets each having an arm member extending perpendicularly outward from said wall, and a clamp member rigidly secured to said arm member, and at least one shelf comprising a plurality of spaced rods, said shelf being supported at opposite ends by a horizontally spaced pair of said bracket arm members, said arm member of each shelf-supporting bracket being formed with a series of arcuate seats for receiving and supporting the lower portions of said shelf rods, said clamp member of each shelf-supporting bracket being formed with a corresponding series of arcuate seats for engaging the upper portion of said shelf rods, one of said members of each shelf-supporting bracket having flanges extending transversely from at least two arcuate seats of said member, and fastening means securing said side panels to the flanges of the shelf-supporting brackets for additionally supporting said side panels.

4. The wardrobe of claim 3 in which said shelf rods are each formed with an aperture in the end portions of said rods engaged by said shelf-supporting bracket, one of said members of each shelf-supporting bracket being formed with fingers extending from each arcuate seat of said member, and said bracket fingers being received in said shelf rod apertures to prevent rotational and longitudinal movement of said shelf rods relative to said bracket and to establish an exact dimension between said side panels based upon the length of said shelf r-ods.

5. The Wardrobe of claim 3 in which a front opening door is hinged to one of said side panels, said door extending an equal distance beyond each side panel and having an uninterrupted front surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,048,441 8/1962 Rose 297--422 X 3,114,575 12/1963 Eames et al 297-1441 X 6 3,343,902 9/ 1967 Magnuson 312-238 3,351,403 11/196'7 Magnuson 312--2415 3,362,768 1/196`8 Fink et a1. 312--245 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R. 

